My dear friend for almost forty years… we have shared so much together – the greatest joys and the most devastating losses.  I am still struggling to fully accept the reality that you are no longer just a phone call or text away.

You were always a champion of the underdog… bravely fighting for the rights and needs of those who are most vulnerable… forever shaped by your own experience as a newcomer and refugee.  That was your way, using your own hardships to inspire your caring for others.  Though you were plagued by your own health issues in recent years, you never lost your ability to enjoy a good book or share a good laugh.

I am heartbroken that your life ended so far away from those you know and love… and am so grateful that God sent you Noberto, the warm-hearted nurse who stayed with you to the end.  The light of the world just seems dimmer without you in it.  I’m going to miss the shared excitement of exploring new ideas and possibilities with you… as well as reminiscing over past adventures.  My heart aches imagining the world without you but find comfort imagining you reunited again with Amparo, Olgi and Toto celebrating the joy and peace of the heaven.

Goodbye my dear friend… you will continue to live on in my heart...

— Sylvia